Despite Cristiano Ronaldo drama, Portugal sees huge jump in World Cup odds
World Cup odds have expectedly shifted this week now that the Round of 16 has concluded, and things appear to be looking up for Portugal -- even after Cristiano Ronaldo rode the bench in their last match.
DraftKings and other major sportsbooks have Portugal listed as the favorite against Morocco in the quarterfinals and tied with England and Argentina at +600 odds to win the World Cup. This all comes on the heels of Fernando Santos's men routing Switzerland 6-1 with Ronaldo sidelined for unsportsmanlike behavior in Portugal's previous match.
As CBS Sports' Mike Goodman explained, benching Ronaldo actually helped open up Portugal's offense.
"The harsh reality is that Portugal have a tremendous amount of attacking talent and it wasn't the end of the world having Ronaldo on the bench," Goodman wrote. "Seemingly out of nowhere, Portugal are young, fun, and have a glide path to the semifinals of the World Cup. From there, anything could happen."
Truth be told, Portugal deserves credit for not getting distracted by the abundance of outside chatter surrounding their 37-year-old captain and even more credit for putting on a show in the Round of 16. The question now, of course, is what Santos does with his lineup against Morocco and how Ronaldo fits back into the mix.
Keep an eye on those odds heading into next weekend's matches, especially with regard to Portugal. They are a team to keep an eye on.
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